Cargo hatch



J. C. TEMPLE CARGO HATCH April 10, 1945.

Filed March 11, 1943 s Sheets-Sheet 1 April 10, 1945. J. c. TEMPLE CARGO HATCH Filed March 11, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 10, 1945.

J. C. TEMPLE CARGO HATCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March' 11, 1945 Hill 11:11

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Patented Apr. 10, 1945 UNITED STATES. PATENT Q-FFICE 'CARGOHATQH John 0. Temple, Washington, D. C. Application March 11, 1943; Serial No. 473,711.

. Claims.

This invention relates. to fabricated truss beams. and more especially to cargo hatch beams, sometimes. known as hatch shifting beams. While; the following disclosure is primarily directed to such beams as. applied to cargo hatches, it to. beunderstood' that. their use is. not. limited to. this field, as they may be employed in practically any structure where beams or equivaa lent. load supports are used. a

he primary object of the mventionis to pro-r" vide a i ht. weight beam of a strength equal to. or greater than the strength of conventional solid l beams, which have considerably. more weight. per lineal toot. Byvirtue of the novel fabricated form of the beam, as will be here-inaitermore fully described, I have found that savings of as, much, a 0.1 more than, of the weight. of the usual beams can be effected, while possessing equal or greater strength when my invention is substituted for conventional I-ibeams'. It accordingly, be seen that. in the. casev of cargov hatch beams, as. used in the 0-2; type of Liberty ships which are being built in large numbers at the. present time, the saving amounts tosapproxi-v mately ten tons pership for the hatch beams alone, Applying this saving to the total number oi Liberty ships scheduled to be. built peram a. gross saving of from 15,000, to 18,000 tons- Qf steel per annum is conservatively estimated for this. type of ship alone. Sucha: saving in steel is of great importance in these days when the demands on steel production are. so. great as to create a shortage of steel for ships.

As previously mentioned, thelightenweight and r at $t e gth of the beam of this inven-.. tion attained by a special form of fabrication of the beam, which is characterized by longi=. tudinallysplitting a standard solid. .I-Joeam'of'.

suitable length horizontally through the vertical web to provide. an upperchord of 'F-shapeand a lower chord of inverted T-shape. At the. central portion of the beam, the upper and. lowerchords are arranged in vertically spaced, parallel relation, while the ends of the lower chord are. bent upwardly and are joined to the respective ends, of the upper chord by specially: designed gusset plates are preferably! welded to. the vertical webs of the upper and lower chords-so as to lie in the same vertical plane.v Thecgusse t platesv are preferably so shaped as. to provide relatively long welds at. the. points of attachmerit to the chords, thereby offering maximum resistance to both vertical and horizontal shear.

By the use of the gusset plates above men tioned, the fioreshortening of the lower chord incident to. bending the ends of thelatterupward 1y, is. compensated for without necessitating-the splitting of a longer I-beam and then cutting oft the ends of the upperchordto correspond to the length of the lower chord after the latter is bent;

o her War s the chord maybe fa r ated remen -beam which o reate its l i zr nal length mm the m nn r t upper chord.

' ac ng. and likew se the usset plat s a the end f. e beam. aresr ier r extend d nto contact th the d e of. the first acin -r rth iabr sai qn Qi-ihe eam. s briefly (1 scribed in the ioree ma i posses es t e advana e i. be n eas r o handle par larlyi an out of. ha ch s on. h board b ca e of its.

i ht r Weig t and e. numer u openings prov ded. hr t e.- russwork; permit the q ick.

and easy n iqa i npi i fi ha tackle theret and he maximized Wei ht also. e sens, possible damage late p pes, etc, on shipboard ue o t e W i h of te ng teams or when the beam are ro ghly a d d n and rike With great. orc sw ld. e tbecase with heavier beamsanpl ed. i b am m i vention further contemplates a new and improved: locking t ermit the ea to be l ck d in place,;.there by preventing accidental displacemenhthereo as wou d othem-ise, happen in the handling or misting car o in a d ou the hatches, said locking means being so constructed as, t9 perrp it quick and convenient release thereto low emova o e eams o across the hatchway when occasion so requires.

Another obiect of; my invention is to provide special trimrn eans on the ends of the beam to permit convenient trimming of the beam to an accurate required length without modification or destruction of its prefabricated form, thereby allowingior the usual range of variation of actual dimensions of cargo. hatches when the beams are installed in a shipyard.

-Other objects and advantages of the invention will. be. hereinafter described and the novel features-thereof defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l. is a top plan view illustrating the ap plication ofmy newbeam to an upper decl; cargo hatch; and showing a plurality of such beams arranged transversely of the'hatchway to support the usual hatch covering (not shown) which is conventionally composed of battens, that is, short,

stout planks or boards disposed to span the space between the adjacent pairs of beams with the ends of the battens resting upon the upper surfacesof the respective beams;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the beams applied to a second or lower deck hatch;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of my fabricated beam per se, with the beam shown in correlated position above an upper deck hatch illustrated in transverse section. in Figure 4, or above a second or lower deck hatch likewise illustrated in transverse section in Figure 5, as in lifting the beam out of or lowering the beam into either of such hatches;

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary detail view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing the manner of supporting the end of the hatch beam in a socket for the same on the inner face of the hatch coaming plate, together with the locking means for releasably locking the end of the beam in said socket; I

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 1---! of Figure 6,-looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken on 6, looking in the direction tion of a hatch beam generally corresponding to that of Figure 3, the beam having special trim plates applied to the ends thereof as illustrated at one end of the beam in this figure;

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line l2-l2 of Figure 11, particularly illustrating the attachment of the trim plates to the end of the beam by special welds which dispense with rewelding after trimming the ends of the plates to conform to the required over-all length of the beam; and

Figure 13 is a view generally similar to Figure 9, illustrating a modified form of beam socket for use with beams omitting the transversely disposed end plates, as for example, with beams as shown in Figure 11,

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

It will be understood from reference to Figures 1 and 2 that the hatches shown in these figures respectively correspond to theconventional upper and lower deck hatch constructions at present employed in ship building, and in which I generally denotes the coaming plate which usually extends vertically upward for a distance above the deck plate 2 in the case of an upper deck cargo hatch. On the other hand, in the case af a second or lower deck hatch, as shown in Figure 2, the coaming plate terminates to its upper extremity in an inclined brow plate -3 above thedeck plate 2. The shapes of the coaming plates are further illustratedin Figures; 4, 5, 9 and -10, but since the details thereof are not material to the present invention, they will not be further described herein. Suffice it to say that the coaming plates are extended verticallydownwardly below the deck plates to define the margins of the different hatchways which may vary in number and size according to the design of-the ship.

It has been the custom in the past to provide removable coverings for the hatches which afiord access to the cargo holds of ships, and where the hatches are of relatively large size, the coverings have been made in the form of wooden battens consisting of relatively short, stout planks or boards which span the space between supporting beams arranged in parallel spaced relation to each other transversely across the hatch. This construction permits convenient handling or shifting of the battens and the beams, as required in the'removal and reapplication of the hatch covers, in whole or in part, as the circumstances require in loading and unloading cargo. Heretofore the supporting beams have been employed in the form of standard solid I-beams which are relatively heavy and which utilize more steel than the circumstances permit at the present time.

My invention primarily resides in the provision of a specially fabricated beam of relatively lighter weight, but of great strength, as compared with solid I-beams, and which also attains a substantial saving in the amount of steel required per beam. My new beam is best shown in Figure 3, wherein the same includes an upper chord 4 which is T-shape -in cross section and straight from end to end, and a lower chord 5 which has an inverted T-shape in cross section.- The two chords 4 and 5 may be conveniently obtained by splitting longitudinally a standard solid I-beam of suitable length, the split occurring preferably midway between the upper horizontal flange 6 and the lower horizontal flange l of the I-beam, and extending horizontally through the vertical web 8. After splitting the I-beam as just described, the vertical web of the lower inverted T half thereof is preferably notched at points substantially spaced from the opposite ends thereof, and the ends of this half of the split beam are bent upwardly, as shown at 8' and 8" in Figure 3, after which the edges formed by notching the web, and which have been brought together by bending the ends of the beam section in an upward direction, are welded together, .as at 9 and l0 respectively. The lower inverted T section of the split beam is now ready to be joined to the 'upper T section to provide the lower and upper over-all length of the straight upper chord, I

preferably cut the ends of the vertical web at the respective ends of the lower chord on an acute angle, and attach thereto, as by welding, gusset plates H, H, said gusset plates having the form shown best in Figures 3 and 6. The upper edges of the gusset plates l I, I I are respectively welded to the lower edge of the vertical web 8 of the upper chord 4, and their longer inclined edges are welded to the inclined edges of the vertical web at the extreme ends of the inclined parts 8, 8", of the lower chord 5, the gusset plates being extended outwardly beyond the ends of the lower chord and terminating in the vertical line of the squared ends of the upper chord. As will be understood from the drawings, the gusset plates H, l 1 lie in the same vertical plane'as the vertical webs 8, 8 of the upper and lower chords 4 and 5 respectively, and are secured to the abutting edges of said vertical webs in such manner as to proascents.

trusses [4, consisting of inclined plates lying in the sameverticalplane as the webs 8, 8: of the upper and lower chords. These lacings" are preferably secured at their upper and lower ends respec tively to the chordxwebs by Welding, withthe lacings so arranged that the leading. edge of each lacing abuts against the. edge of its. succeeding lacing, from end. to endv of the trusswork. l'twill also be seen from reference to the drawings that the gusset plates 1 I, III. are extended into contact at: their inboard: ends with the first. lacing .at.

the corresponding ends of the beam. This; arrangement of the gusset plates and lacingsprovides maximum resistancezto end shear.

Having described the fabricated construction of the. truss beam,. it; isto be understood that the same. can be usedin precisely the same. manner as solid I-beams have formerly been used in connection with cargo hatches. Because of the: great strength of my fabricated. beam, I am able. to fabricate the samein the; manner described from ll-beams of considerably lighter weight as. compared with solid lebeams formerly used; as indicated in. the. following. table which: is. given solely for illustrative purposes:

Fabricated beam Solid I-beam lo-1b. I-beamin lieu of 59 lb. I-beam 1b, I-beam in lieu of; 68 lb.'I -bearn 681i). I-beamin lieu of.. .821h. I-beam.

a longitudinally extended bar or strip L6; which serves notonly to stiffen the beam, but-which also serves as-a' parting strip.- lying betweenthe con tiguous ends. of the battensor planks. designated. [1, as shown in Figure '1'... Thus, eachbeam serves. to support the. adjacent ends. of the. battens. or planks. resting thereon at. opposite sides. of the parting strip. l6.

To. support the. opposite. ends of. the. respective. fabricated beams. in their. arrangement. transversely across; the. hatchways; I preferably attach. to each end of the beam,. as by welding, a transversely disposed end plate. l8.,. which end plates are. adapted to. seat. in sockets. Iii mounted onthe inner face of the coaming plate at opposite sides. of the. hatch. Ehe details of the sockets; l9 will be best understood from reference to. Figures. 6. to 10 inclusive of the drawings. wherein I have shown a socket. composed of a pairofopposed, horizontally spaced angular plates ML 21 weldedto the inner face of the coaming plate I t form an upwardly. and inwardly open socket -22, of such shape and size. as to receive. the end plate ill on the end of the fabricated beam, theopposing, edges. of. the angular plates 20* 2|. being sufficiently spaced apart. to receive therebetween, the vertical web 8 and. gusset plate. l-l at the extreme end of the beam. The upper corners of the angular plates 2!), 2i are referably cut awa as at 23,. 24 to facilitate the guiding of the beam into the socket as it is lowered into the hatchway. The Weight of the beam is preferably supported at each. end by a shortbar 25 welded-tothe inner face of the coaming plate and to the lower ends of the angular platesZlI 21 so that the bar 25 closes; the lower end 'of the socket.

. In order to prevent accidental displacement ofi thehatch beamswhen disposed across the hatchway; or when. less. thanuall; of the beams are removed for thepurposes of handling cargo through the: hatch, I also provide suitable locking: means asshown. in Figures. 6: to 10. inclusive. Saidlocking means. preferably comprises; a locking pawl zfipivotally attached to the beam: adjacent toeach end thereof so as to swing about. a horizontalaxisnormalz to the plane. of the. vertical. web of. the beam. The: locking pawls at, the. respective ends of the beam. are preferably mounted on opposite sides of the. longitudinal axis of the beam, and according to the arrangement illustrated in the drawings herein, the looking pawl; lies on. the righthand side of said longi tudinal. axis of the beam when viewed in a direction looking; towards; the socket. Coacting with the locking pawl, I provide a half-round. abutment. 2! welded. to one-of the angle plates form. ing the socket for the-end. of. the beam, said; abutment being carried bythe angle plate 21,; as shown in the drawings, Immediately below the abutment 21,. the angle -plate.- Zl is recessedor grooved horizontally, as at 2 8, so that when the. locking pawl is swung. in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figures 6 to lQinclusive, it will pass beyond the vertical center of. its axis of rotation. sothat its free extremity will lie. partly in the recess or groove; and. partly beneath the abutment. 21, thus asswring againstinadvertentdisplacement of the locking. pawl by vibration of the ship. When the locking awl is in thelocking position shown in Figures 6 and 10, the. beam is positively locked against movement inan upward direction, it being understood that the lockingpawls and coacting abutments and recesses are duplicated. at the opposite endsfof each beam. To permit removal of the beam. this can be quicklyv accomplished by swinging the locking pawls in a counterclockwise direction to free the same from engagement with their recesses 28- and abutments 21, and when the pawls pass over the vertical center .of their axis of rotation, they will drop to theirvertical positions as shown in Figure 3, in which positions they will remain until thy are again swung back to their locking positions. After unlocking .the

pawls as just described, the beamsfmay be read ily lifted out of the hatch, after removal of the hatch covers. or battens, as by the use of suitable tackle or other hoisting'means which may be readily engaged with the beams at the var-b ious openings provided between the trusswork thereof. Since the lower chord 5 of the fabricated beam is arrangedparallel tothe upper chord 4 at'its central portion, and the, beam flange of the lower chord as. formed by the invert'ed T section of an I-beam "is flat, the beams may be conveniently placed on deck by resting the same on the bottom of the. lower chord, without teetering o=r endangering the deck plating by denting thereof. It will be understood that while I prefer to. employ a split I-beam to form. the upper and lower chords 4 and 5 of my fabricatedbeam, to gain the advantage of saving in weight and mate rial by the utilization -of the lower half of the split Iebean-i for the t'ension'member of the. fabricated beam,'th'is type'of fabrication is not absolutely essential to the invention inasmuch as standard beams-of T cross section may be employed and built up into the same fabricated form as disclosed herein, where the material is ings,-I have there shown an end detail of a fabricated beam of the same construction as illustrated in the otherfigures of the drawings, but otherwise modified through the provision of trim plates 29 and 30 respectivelydisposed on opposite sides of the vertical web formed by the. coextensive webs 8, 8 of the upper and lower chords 4, 5, and the intermediate gusset plate IL. As seen in Figure 11, the trim plates 29 and 30 are extended beyond the extreme ends of the beam proper, at each end of the beam, so that the trim plates may be cut off along a vertical line according to the required over-all length of the beam, which may vary plus or minus one inch from the standard width of the hatch opening in the shipyard construction. The advantage of the trim plates particularly resides in the manner of welding the same to the ends ofthe fabricated beam, and in thisconnection, it will be observed that each of the plates 29 and 30 is welded to the beam along their upper and lower edges and their inboard edges. Theoutboardedges of the trim plates are not, however, welded together, since such weld would be cut away in trimming the ends to accurately correspond with the required over-all length of the beam. In lieu of welding the outboard edgesof the trim plates together, the trim plates are provided with a series of vertically spaced holes- 3|, approximately one-inch in diameter and the edges of these holes are welded to the vertical web of the beam by making the weld interiorly of the holes and extending the same around the holes, as shown in' Figure 12. In employing the trim plates as just described, the end plates It may be welded to the outer edges of the trim plates after the latter have been trimmed-to the required over-all length of the beam, although it is to be understood that these end plates may be omitted entirely from either type of beam construction shown herein, if preferred, in which event, the sockets for the ends of the beam could be modified to dispense with the space which"normally receives the end I plates 18." Sucha modified socket is shown in Figure 13, wherein the same is shown in the form of a' one-piece U-shaped member 32 having a space 33 to receive the beam therein. By making the member32 somewhat thicker than the depth of the angular plates 20, 2| of Figure 9, the beam may be supported by the horizontal part 34 at the bottom of the member 32. j The member 32 is also provided with a deep groove or recess 35 to 'receive the locking pawl 26 on the beam. Thus, by making the groove or recess 35 of greater depth than the depth of the corresponding groove or recess 28 shown in Figure 9, the abutment 21 may be dispensed with. 1

In addition to'the openings afiorded by the trusswork which can be conveniently engaged by suitable lifting tackle in handling the hatch beams into and out of the hatchways, separate large circular openings 32 may be provided through the vertical web of the beam adjacent-to the opposite ends thereof and atthecenter, as shown in Figures 3 and 11, said openings likewise serving to facilitate handling ofthe beam. These openings 32 are thus provided at points of the relatively long and heavy, in which case, it may not be advisable to engage the lifting tackle in the openings in the trusswork because of the likelihood of tearingout or otherwise damaging the laclngs. I

While .the specific details have been herein shown and described, the invention is not con fined thereto, as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims,

I claim:

1. In. a deck hatch construction, a hatchway formed in the deck and including 'a vertically downwardly extended coaming about the margin of the hatchway, a plurality of hatch beam sockets mounted at spaced intervals on the inher face of the coaming at opposite side of the hatchway, with the sockets at one side of the hatchway arranged in opposed relation to the re spective sockets at the opposite side, each of said sockets comprising a pair of vertically extended horizontally spaced arms joined at'their lower ends by a horizontally-disposed abutment, one arm of each socket being provided with a, recess formed inits inner face and facing the opposite socket, i a plurality of hatch beams removably mounted across the hatchway, each with its opposite ends positioned between the arms of an opposed pair of sockets and resting upon the abutments at the lower ends thereof, and a latch member pivotally mounted on each hatch beam adjacent to each end thereof, with each latch pivot arranged below and spaced inwardly of the hatchway with relation to the recess in the socket arm .at the corresponding end of the hatch beam,-

said .latch members being. respectively shiitable from a normally pendant released position to a gravity-biased beam locking position inclining upwardly and towards the socket, with its free extremity received in the recess aforesaid. V I V 2. A hatch construction as defined in claimil,

wherein t the latches andlatch-engaging' socket recesses at the respective ends of each batch beam lie on opposite sides of the beam. 3. A hatch construction as defined in claim 1, wherein each socket arm having a latch-engaging recess is further provided with an abutment lo-,

ter assumes its upwardly inclined recess-engagedposition. i 5. A hatch construction as defined in claim 1,

wherein the arms of the respective sockets are spaced from the coaming at their horizontallyspaced edges, and thehatch beams are each provided with transversely extended end plates seating in the space between the arms and the coam ing as the beams are vertically lowered into their respective sockets.

JOHN C. TEMPLE. 

